Taplow Court & Dorney Court – June 2019

Depart APMH: 08:15

Depart Dorney: approx 16:30

Taplow Court

Coffee/tea on arrival. At 10:30/11:30 two groups will visit the gardens and house. Our guides will be head gardener, Phil Rollinson, who was previously at Mount Stewart, County Down, and John Fagence, history expert and chief manager at Taplow Court.

Taplow Court comprises 18th century pleasure grounds and a small park, with 19th century formal gardens, surrounding a mid-19th century country house.

The site has been in use since the Bronze Age. The burial mound of a Saxon lord was built on a promontory at the top of the scarp in the early 7th century, giving Taplow its name. George Hamilton, first Lord Orkney, bought the Taplow Court estate, together with the Cliveden estate around 1700, during his successful military career with the first Duke of Marlborough. Orkney seems to have lived mainly at Taplow rather than Cliveden, although the two estates were developed in tandem, particularly the hillside woodland walks which are contiguous. The Orkneys remodelled the 17th century house several times, until in 1852 it was sold to Charles Pascoe Grendel, who employed William Burn to remodel the house in its current Tudor style. During the late 19th century, Taplow Court became the focal point for the social group known as The Souls. During and following the Second World War the house was used for institutional purposes, being sold to Plessey Electronics in 1963, and bought by SGI-UK in 1988.

Dorney Court

Lunch (at own cost) at Dorney: either ‘Dorney Court Kitchen Garden’ or ‘The Palmer Arms’ (choose when booking).

Dorney Court is one of England’s finest stately homes. It is a Grade 1 listed building, renowned for its architectural importance and historical significance, and any visit is a fascinating and unique experience. On visiting in May 2018, filming of ‘David Copperfield’ was underway.

Built in the 15th century, the Tudor Manor House has been lived in by the Palmer family for more than 450 years – this remarkable and characterful building has been passed from father to son over thirteen generations.

“Dorney” is the ancient Saxon word for “island of bees” and the estate remains famous for its honey which is still produced to this day. The very first pineapple to be raised in England was grown at Dorney Court and presented to Charles II in 1661, whilst the spectre of a bald lady haunts the wood panelled hallways! We will enjoy a guided tour in groups around this family home. (Tea not included).